Finally…a reason to like Dr. Atkins (you know, that bloated diet doctor that went toots up a while back that turned every annoying person you know into a self-appointed “carbohydrates expert”…can you enjoy anything anymore without some clown trying to lecture you on the amount of “carbs” in it?).

Killer Hooch went on the road this week and stopped by the Cold River Vodka distillery in Freeport, Maine. I happened to be vacationing very near so I asked the Cold River team if it would be okay for me to drop by. Bob Harkins, one of the owners, got back to me right away and welcomed me to stop by for a visit. With my loyal photographer in tow, I headed over to the distillery.

Chris Dowe, the distiller (also a partner in the business), gave me a tour. He explained the distillation process in which Cold River Vodka is actually distilled five separate times…each time with it getting smoother and tastier. To put this in perspective…imagine washing and waxing your car…now repeat that process four more times in a row. At the end of that process you’d have a pretty clean and shiny car wouldn’t you? I’d imagine that quintuple distillation has about the same impact on the taste of the vodka…but we’ll talk about that in a little bit during the “tasting” part of this show!

Chris also explained how Cold River differs from the competition. It’s not just the fact they use fresh potatoes from Maine and water from the Cold River (were you wondering where they got the name?). The big difference comes from the fact when their distillation process is complete, the Cold River water is the only thing that is added to the product (this is done, as with all vodkas, to reduce the alcohol content down from 96.2% down to 40%/80 proof). All other vodkas…even the “biggest names” in the industry, use glycerin or glucose additives to smooth out the taste.

Because the entire process for Cold River’s vodka is completed in a copper system, they do not need to utilize these additives to smooth out the taste. The naturally occurring glycerin makes it smooth enough.

After my tour, Bob Harkins and I sat down in his office to discuss how he and his other three partners got into the vodka business. It turns out to be a very interesting story. The idea came about equal parts dream and necessity. Brothers Donnie and Lee Thibodeau had discussed the idea for years about distilling vodka from the potatoes Donnie produced on the Thibodeau family farm. This idea may have never evolved from simple table talk if it hadn’t been for the above-mentioned Dr. Atkins. With his “anti-carb” diet plan, everyone seemed to be participating in, people were eating less potatoes. With out a new viable outlet for those potatoes, Donnie faced the very real possibility of losing the family farm.

Combine the dream of two brothers, a bunch of potatoes, some business savvy from a family friend (Bob Harkins) along with the magic of distiller Chris Dowe and viola…you’ve got Cold River Vodka (the product was launched in 2005)!

How does it taste though?

After a day of distillery and site seeing…I sat down with my bottle of Cold River Vodka. The bottle itself is really nice. It’s etched on both sides with a potato field separated by the Cold River running through it on the back etching (it’s corked too which is a classy touch). The initial taste is a nice, crisp refreshing blast. A slight sweet warm aftertaste follows. You don’t have to worry about any burn here…Cold River goes down super smoothly.

The next time you’re in your favorite liquor store or drinking establishment, see if they’ve got the bottle with the Cold River on it…it’s some Killer Hooch!

For more information:
www.coldrivervodka.com